Militant commander says Rs2 million were a fine imposed on Afridi for overcharging patients. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

PESHAWAR: The militants accused in court of conspiring with Dr Shakil Afridi who was recruited by the CIA to find Osama bin Laden said Thursday they had nothing to do with him and would kill him if they had the chance.

Shakil Afridi was sentenced to 33 years in jail after he was found guilty of treason.

LeI, led by Mangal Bagh, is a militant organisation feared for kidnappings and extortion in the Kyber district.

The court order said Afridi had “close links” to the group, saying the doctor’s “love” for Bagh and his “association with him was an open secret”.

But a commander in the organisation told AFP that they had nothing to do with Afridi.

“We have no link to such a shameless man. If we see him we’ll chew him alive,” the commander said on condition of anonymity.

The court said Afridi paid Rs2 million ($21,000) to Lashkar-e-Islam and helped to provide medical assistance to militant commanders in Khyber.

But the commander said the $21,000 was a fine imposed for over-charging patients.

“Afridi and his fellow doctor were fleecing tribesmen, giving them fake medicines and doing fake surgeries. We had a lot of complaints against them and imposed a fine of two million rupees on them,” he said.

Local residents also told AFP that Bagh fined Afridi for performing “unnecessary surgeries and over-charging” patients at his private clinic in the town of Bara.

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Reader Comments (11)

After having heard the 5 page judgment by the court, it came as a shock to me. Dr Afridi punished entirely on different charge. Media hue and cry pertained to CIA connection and OBL matter while the court judgement is quiet on both the issues. Date of judgment is also significant as it bears 23rd of May-2012. President of the country defending the NATO and his treason case in USA. Whole world making hue and cry about punishing Dr Afridi for pin pointing OBL hide out. And when judgment of the court comes it refers the punishment given for entirely different crime. There seems to be some thing propping up between civil elite and judiciary. Where this mess will lead the country no one seems to be interested

Dr shakeel afridi does look like an Afghan Hazara man.I guess it that his ancestors mite not be real afridis as traitor. roumur is that he had links with those militants who are operated by CIA,RAW or Musad and also the key agent in OBL raid case.

such traitors must be given befitting charges so that in future nobody else could dare.
Nation should throw weight behind courts.

What to believe.? It is media reported first that he has been punished for pointing and getting to BL fugitive terrorist.. whole world including Pakistanis con domed this action. Now story is changed 360 degree. Media in these days wants to report first and they do not check the source. they just want sensation. Allah bless Pakistani media.

Dear all Readers of Tribune ,I belong to Khyber agency and i know about Dr, Shakeel afridi .
He was fined by Mangal bagh because the local residents complaint to Lashkar Islam Cheaf Mangal Bagh, that he is not a surgery doctor.Therefore Bagh fined him Rs.10th Lac

Everybody knows that Afridi was punished for helping OBL. The fact that he was convicted on false charges, just because the establishment(military), wanted him punished speaks volumes about Pakistan’s judicial system.

Similarly,Terrorists, like Hafiz Saeed, are not put behind bars using this faulty judicial system, only people who help capture such Terrorists have to go in.